Dr. François Gros-Louis is a regular researcher at the CHU Research Center of Québec-Laval University and Professor in the Department of Surgery of the School of Medicine at Laval University. Dr. Gros-Louis’ research activities are grouped together at the Multidisciplinary Center for Tissue Engineering (LOEX), a research center dedicated to organogenesis, stem cells, regenerative medicine and to the reconstruction of living human tissues and organs through tissue engineering. He holds the Canada Research Chair in Biomodeling and Treatment of Brain Diseases, and is the co-director of the induced pluripotent stem cell platform (iPSC).

Several neurological conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases and other brain diseases occupy a prominent place because of their severity and increasing frequency related to the aging of the population. One of the major obstacles to understanding the development of these diseases is the accessibility of neuronal tissues. Dr. Gros-Louis’ research, at the crossroads between basic research and clinical research, is positioned in a fast-growing research field that aims to reconstruct human tissue through tissue engineering, using patient-derived tissue, to model and better understand the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying these diseases. The main objective of his research program is to reconstruct by tissue engineering, from the patient’s own cells, organs / organoids (skins and blood vessels) whose histological, physiological and functional properties make it possible to reproduce the pathological signatures of various brain diseases (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), intracranial aneurysm and neurofibromatosis). The specific objectives are: 1) to identify new strategies for early diagnosis, 2) to study and monitor the progression of targeted diseases, 3) to evaluate the response to existing and future treatments, 4) to identify and understand pathogenic mechanisms, and 5) to identify specific biomarkers and to develop new therapeutic pathways. Dr. Gros-Louis has played a major role in the discovery and application of a novel method for the in vitro reconstruction of tissue, through tissue engineering, for the study of ALS, neurofibromatosis, and intracranial aneurysms.

Pathogenic Pathways and in-vitro modelization of Intracranial Aneurysms in populations of Inuit and French Canadian descent, Subvention, Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada, Subvention Projet, from 2017-04-01 to 2022-03-31